Aside from lower weight and slightly thinner folded size, does the 4x5 Anba have any advantage over the Tachihara, Wista DX, Woodman, or Ebony RW45? How do they compare in rigidity and wide angle use? I only want to use it for lanscapes with lenses from 75mm-180, and later maybe a Fuji-A 240mm or 270mm Tele Arton (only near the car). Stability is more important to me than saving a few ounces. Thanks!

-- Vishal Mathur (vishal.mathur@nsc.com), January 23, 2002

Answers

The order that you list these cameras in your post is the exact reverse of their level of quality - starting with Anba at the bottom.

-- rslhe6 (mojo@moscow.com), January 23, 2002.

It's a LOT less expensive, too. No Fresnel. It's plenty sturdy.

-- Bill (bmitch@home.com), January 24, 2002.

I have one in 5x7 and it is a nice, lightweight package that has suffered the bruises & knocks of use for 5 years without complaint. Now relegated to backup status by the 5x7 deardorff, I do get it out & use it from time to time. I would not hesitate in getting another if the opportunity arose. The Ikeda Anba has the metal corner bracing inset so it is flush with the wood. The metal side pieces front & back have a spring action built in that tensions them as you open & close the camera. These cameras show a lot of attention to detail that some of the more expensive makes could learn from. As far as stability, the Deardorff is more solid but that comes partly from weight. If you don't want to carry the camera a long distance why not go with Deardorff & save a few dollars from the newer, shiny toys out there? Or, go with a Linhof Technica... solid as a rock & easy to use.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), January 24, 2002.

Get the Ebony.

-- paul owen (paulowen_2000@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.

Vishal,

I have an Anba 4x5, which I find I don't use much now that I also own a Wista SP metal field. There is no comparison in stability. The Anba is MUCH less stable. Not so bad that you can't use it, however the Anba's front standard has some flexibility that bothers me. It's not a problem under normal shooting conditions, but the Wista instills more confidence. I'm going to sell the Anba sometime soon since I shoot mostly 8x10 now and really don't need two 4x5 cameras.

That said, if you want a lightweight compact camera, the Anba is tops.

-- Linas Kudzma (lkudzma@compuserve.com), January 24, 2002.

If you're on a tight budget, get the Tachihara. I love mine--its very light, and stable enough for most of my shooting situations (even on the extremely windy Cape Ann). However, if you're interested in using longer lenses (270+) you might run into coverage issues because the bellows isn't all that long. I think they might make a bellows extension, though, but I'm not positive. Good luck!

-- Chris Jordan (Boston) (gazebophoto@hotmail.com), January 24, 2002.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I may try out the Tachihara for now, unless I can find a 4x5 or 5x7 Nagaoka. I've been using a 4x5 Technika, and 5x7 Canham but still looking for something smaller, lighter and stable enough.

-- Vishal Mathur (vishal.mathur@nsc.com), January 28, 2002.